Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Microrobots learn from ciliates

A swimming microrobot formed from liquid-crystal elastomers is driven by a light-induced peristaltic motion.

Feb 25th, 2016

New catalyst makes hydrogen peroxide accessible to developing world

Scientists have developed a method of producing hydrogen peroxide on demand through a simple, one-step process. The method enables dilute H2O2 to be made directly from hydrogen and oxygen in small quantities on-site.

Feb 25th, 2016

New trigger for self-powered mechanical movement

A new way to use the chemical reactions of certain enzymes to trigger self-powered mechanical movement has been developed by a team of researchers.

Feb 25th, 2016

Graphene slides smoothly across gold

Researchers have been studying the lubricity of graphene on the nanometer scale. Since it produces almost no friction at all, it could drastically reduce energy loss in machines when used as a coating.

Feb 25th, 2016

Pulling water from thin air

Inspired by a desert beetle, cactus and pitcher plant, researchers design a new material to collect water droplets.

Feb 25th, 2016

Quantum dot solids: This generation's silicon wafer?

Just as the single-crystal silicon wafer forever changed the nature of electronics 60 years ago, a group of researchers is hoping its work with quantum dot solids - crystals made out of crystals - can help usher in a new era in electronics.

Feb 25th, 2016

Immune cells don't always ward off carbon nano invaders

Scientists have found evidence that some carbon nanomaterials can enter into immune cell membranes, seemingly going undetected by the cell's built-in mechanisms for engulfing and disposing of foreign material, and then escape through some unidentified pathway.

Feb 24th, 2016

Physicists promise a copper revolution in nanophotonics

Researchers have proved that copper nanophotonic components can operate successfully in photonic devices - it was previously believed that only gold and silver components have the required properties for this. It means that light-based computers are closer to reality than ever before - copper is cheaper than gold or silver.

Feb 24th, 2016

Material enables more reliable and meaningful self-screening

Paper-based diagnostics enable rapid medical test results at minimal cost - and now they're about to get even better. A new synthetic paper could enable simultaneous screenings for multiple conditions, with more reliable results.

Feb 24th, 2016

The key to mass-producing nanomaterials (w/video)

Researchers have created a new way to manufacture nanoparticles that will transform the process from a painstaking, batch-by-batch drudgery into a large-scale, automated assembly line.

Feb 24th, 2016

Breakthrough for lab-on-a-chip material

Researchers have developed a new polymer suited for photostructuring - a technique for creating micro-scale shapes. The discovery opens new possibilities for medical diagnostics, biophotonics and 3D printing.

Feb 24th, 2016

Counting molecules with an ordinary cell phone

To address the need for a robust readout system for quantitative diagnostics, researchers have invented a new visual readout method that uses analytical chemistries and image processing to provide unambiguous quantification of single nucleic-acid molecules that can be performed by any cell-phone camera.

Feb 24th, 2016

New research introduces 'pause button' for boiling

Using a focused laser beam to essentially hit the pause button on boiling, scientists have created a single vapor bubble in a pool of liquid that can remain stable on a heated surface for hours, instead of milliseconds. This method gives researchers time to study vapor bubbles and determine ways to optimize the boiling process.